DAILY DEVOTIONALS
2 Corinthians 9
2 Corinthians 9 Prayer Points Gracious God, we give you thanks for our daily bread and for the continual supply of seed for sowing and for reaping a harvest of righteousness among others. For you have made your grace to abound toward us more than sufficient for our needs that we might abound in every good work. Again, you have enriched us in every way that we might be generous in every way. O Lord,…
Habakkuk 2
Habakkuk 2 Prayer Points The day of our deliverance seems slow, O Lord, but we wait for it with patience, as do all the righteous who look to you by faith. Woe to the violent and to the scoffer, O God. Woe to the plunderer and to the thief. Woe to the arrogant and the idolater, for the day of your vengeance will surely come and will not delay. On that day, the wicked will…
Micah 6
Micah 6 Prayer Points O Lord, you are the righteous judge of all the earth, and we humbly come before your throne this morning to present ourselves before our God and King. We come to you not with burnt offerings or any man-made sacrifices in an attempt to appease your holy anger because of our sin, but we plead the name of Jesus your Son, our Savior. For you have told us what is good…
Lamentations 4
Lamentations 4 Prayer Points O Lord, you are the everlasting God and the maker of all men. Originally, in the Garden, Adam was purer than snow and the beauty of his form was like sapphire, but in the Fall, his face, became as black as soot. Oh, how the gold has grown dim and the precious sons of God, worth their weight in gold, have become like earthen pots cracked and broken. Now, our days…
Psalm 51
Psalm 51 Prayer Points Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in…
Psalm 48
Psalm 48 Prayer Points Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised. As your name, O God, so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth. We have thought on your steadfast love, O God. Your right hand is filled with righteousness. Let Mount Zion be glad and your people rejoice because of your judgments and may we tell the next generation that you are the God who guides us, our God forever…
Psalm 43
Psalm 43 Prayer Points Prayer of Illumination and Devotion: Father, as we come to your Holy Word today, give us your light and truth; let them lead us; let them bring us to your holy place, to meet with you, our exceeding joy, that we might again praise your glorious name, our salvation and our God. Prayer for anxiety: Father, our hearts are quickly filled with fear and anxiety in the midst of earthly troubles.…
2 Kings 24
2 Kings 24 Pastor Lawrence Bowlin We are coming to the end of God’s patience with Judah. They are going into exile. I find it so interesting to try to understand what the author includes and leaves out. The author leaves out much of the history about Babylon and Egypt. We are not told why Babylon came to Israel but we know that Babylon was warring against Egypt. For three years Jehoiakim served Nebuchadnezzar but…
2 Kings 23
2 Kings 23 Pastor David Groendyk Good King Josiah still reigns on the throne, and what a reign it is! Today’s chapter itemizes all the various ways in which Josiah leads Judah in repentance and cleansing. After the book of the Law is found and read and convicts Josiah, he gathers all the elders and leaders of Judah together to hear it and lead this reform too (vv. 1–2). They read the Word of God…
2 Kings 22
2 Kings 22 Pastor Lawrence Having the heinously wicked kings Amon and Manasseh for his father and grandfather, one would assume that Josiah would naturally follow in their footsteps, but the Lord had mercy upon him. Josiah became king when he was only eight years old after his father was assassinated. When he turned sixteen, the Lord opened Josiah’s heart and he began to seek the Lord. Then when he turned twenty, he began to…
2 Kings 21
2 Kings 21 Pastor Mark Hudson This chapter in 2 Kings describes the life and ministry of Manasseh who “did evil in the sight of the Lord” according to v. 2. As a Bible reader might know, II Chronicles 33:10ff, also includes a period of repentance at the end of his life. But we are looking at what this author is telling us and following his story. We don’t know why this author didn’t include…
2 Kings 20
2 Kings 20 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence The question is often asked whether prayer actually changes God’s plans? And some might be tempted to use this particular passage to show that Hezekiah actually changed the mind of God through his humility and prayer to extend his life by fifteen extra years. But is that really what’s happening here? Certainly, we know from Matthew 6:25 that we cannot add a single hour to our life through…
2 Kings 19
2 Kings 19 Pastor Mark Hudson Hezekiah is not a normal king for this time in the history of the nation of Judah. Hezekiah is a godly man but peaceful times this is not. For once, we see a king from Judah or Israel going to God instead of the gods of the nations. How does he respond to this potentially life-threatening, nation-ending news? First, let’s look at the messenger who brought this news. Rabshakeh…
2 Kings 18
2 Kings 18 Pastor David Groendyk The northern nation of Israel is gone, and only southern Judah is left. Hezekiah is the new king, and the Lord’s assessment of him is a good one—“He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him” (v. 5). That is to say, Hezekiah was the best king…
2 Kings 16
2 Kings 16 Pastor Mark Hudson There are a number of subtle expressions of abhorrence in this chapter. Not every narrator’s evaluation of character’s is obvious to a reader who reads quickly and not carefully. To the careful reader, though, the narrator is clear. This chapter demonstrates why Israel and Judah are in such upheaval. Ahaz, king of Judah, receives this evaluation: “he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord…
2 Kings 15
2 King 15 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence This chapter serves as Exhibit A on why believers ought to be praying for kings and all who are in high positions as Paul exhorts us in 1 Timothy 2:2 that “we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” In the narrative of this one chapter and during the reign of a single king in Judah over a span of fifty-two years,…
2 Kings 14
2 Kings 14 Pastor Mark Hudson Chapter 14 begins with a brief account of Amaziah, King of Judah. He gets a C if he received a report card like we used to get in school. Some students are satisfied with that. Some of us are content with getting a job done even if the job was not your best effort and looks . . . well, okay. Good enough. At least, good enough in your…
2 Kings 13
2 Kings 13 Pastor David Groendyk We flip back to the northern kingdom of Israel again. Keep in mind from 2 Kings 10:30 that God had promised Jehu’s next four descendants would reign as kings. That’s no small promise given Israel’s history with assassinations and mutinies. Today’s chapter tells us about Jehu’s first two descendants—Jehoahaz and Jehoash. Both of these men are notable for two reasons: their moral wickedness (vv. 2, 11) and their military…
2 Kings 12
2 Kings 12 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence Although all things rightfully belong to God since He is the creator and king of the universe, there are some things that are particularly holy unto the Lord such as the Sabbath or the Lord’s Day and tithes and offerings. These things that have been given over unto God are for God’s work to be used in the way that He commands. The rest of the time and…
2 Kings 11
2 Kings 11 Pastor Mark Hudson Structure of 2 Kings 11 D. R. Davis Death and preservation vv. 1-3 Secret plans vv. 4-12 Revealing King’s son v. 4 Priest’s instruction vv. 5-8 Compliance vv. 9-11 Coronation v. 12 Public event vv. 13-19 Revealing king’s son vv. 13-14 Priest’s instruction v. 15 Compliance v. 16 Covenant + destruction vv. 17-18 Installation v. 19 Death and peace v. 20. I doubt most Bible readers would know the…
2 Kings 10
2 Kings 10 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence “Vengeance is mine, I will repay” says the Lord.” These vindictive words of God are just as certain as his words of salvation, and in both of these words the righteous rejoice. Jehu overall does not appear to be a godly man; nevertheless, the Lord anoints him to act as his sword of vengeance against the house of Ahab and against the priests of Baal living in Israel.…